Israeli vaccinations against Covid-19 hold lessons for the United States

Israel rolled The fastest COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the worldTo pollinate 20% of its population in three weeks. The tiny country – of nearly nine million people, roughly the same as New York City – now It aims to vaccinate the majority of its population by March.

While the Israeli vaccination campaign is relatively simple compared to the mass mobilization needed by countries like the United States that have more people spread over a larger geographic area, this effort offers some clear lessons.

Send smaller vaccine shipments

The Pfizer Inc. vaccine should be given. – BioNTech SE within five days after leaving the main storage center and within six hours after adding a diluent before extracting five to six doses from the vial.

To deal with this short life span and access to less densely populated and isolated areas, Israel – with Pfizer’s approval – has devised a system to divide the company’s 1,000-dose containers into batches smaller than a few hundred each. Workers repackage bottles at workstations equipped with large freezers.

Israel, like most other countries, It gives priority to medical professionalsPeople over 60 years of age with high-risk vaccine recipients. But to make sure no vials are wasted, authorities also allow vaccination centers to distribute excess doses to anyone who appears.